Some people call the formation of The Silk Road Ensemble the "Manhattan Project of music."

In 1963 there was a trio called the Wailers that included Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Livingston. Bob is gone. Peter Tosh was murdered in 1987. That leaves Bunny the last Wailer standing. And even though the Wailers folded a long time ago, Bunny keeps Wailer as his last name.

In the fictional film "Radio Dreams," members of a rock band from Afghanistan want to jam with Metallica. The group, Kabul Dreams, is now based in San Francisco and is trying to find an audience in the US.

Papa Wemba died earlier this week, after he collapsed on stage in Ivory Coast. The star, known as the king of Congolese rumba, was jailed in 2004 for smuggling Congolese people to Europe. Lubangi Muniania, a Congolese arts educator who knew Papa Wemba, explains Wemba's history.

Cellist Leyla McCalla explores the connections between the American South and Haiti on her new album, "A Day for the Hunter, A Day for the Prey." The title comes from a Haitian proverb.

The opening chord progression in Stairway to Heaven is one of the most famous in rock music. But representatives of a 1960s US band called Spirit say that Robert Plant and Jimmy Page got the idea from them. A federal judge in Los Angeles says a jury should decide.

When Australian singer-songwriter Kelly Dance moved to Hong Kong, she visited her local library and became immersed in Chinese science fiction. The strange, outlandish tales influenced her to write songs now appearing in her debut EP, "All That's Gained."

In 2010, tragedy struck in Haiti. And amid the chaos, Haitian music collective Lakou Mizik came together.

Gato Barbieri was one cool cat, and it wasn't just the trademark fedora. He earned his nickname while sneaking in and out of nightclubs around Buenos Aires when he was a kid. He went on to be regarded as a master saxophonist and band leader. The World's Host Marco Werman has an appreciation.

In northern Mexico, there's a place called Copper Canyon. It cuts six slits into the Earth and hidden between the cliffs and valleys is where an American concert pianist has decided to settle with his one-ton grand piano.